A COUPLE of weeks ago, a group of Nigerian public commentators, intellectuals, activists and writers wrote an open letter in which they expressed – to President Muhammadu Buhari – deep concern over “what appears to be an increase in harassment by security services of journalists going about their work.”

LAST week, I said on this page that I had grave reservations about President Buhari’s active involvement in a non-Nigerian political crisis that had been brought on by his Gambian counterpart Yahya Jammeh’s undemocratic misconduct.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega selected his wife, Rosario Murillo, to be his running mate when he was seeking a fourth term in office.

WHEN we were young (many moons ago!), I shared a flat in London with a clever, vivacious and beautiful fellow journalist called Aminatta Forna. Her mother was Scottish. Her father, Mohammed Forna, a highly principled native of Sierra Leone, had started his career as a medical doctor, then branched into politics.

Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the current Minister of Transport and former Governor of Rivers State, was my bosom buddy for many years; and before, during and after the 2015 elections, I supported Amaechi to the hilt, sometimes reluctantly.

This has been a bad year for the majority of Nigerians. We have been plunged into recession. Prices have soared and people are struggling for basic survival.

There are many who do not want – for several reasons – to discuss replacing Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s President come 2019.

Active APC and PDP supporters will soon face each other in yet another electoral re–run in my home state, Rivers. I have spoken to several Riverians – non-politicians – about this upcoming battle, which has been scheduled for December 10th; and they are all extremely worried because violence has marred previous polls and the widespread assumption is that violence will rear its ugly head again next weekend.

Many people – myself included – are still dazed by Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. Very few saw it coming; and A LOT of time is being invested – in America and globally – in analyses of the “shocking” result, as journalists, pundits, pollsters and non-professional observers of all nationalities try to make sense of it.

MY friend, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, is the Chief Press Secretary to Seriake Dickson, the Bayelsa State Governor. Daniel’s mother recently passed away and will be buried this weekend; and I want to share the moving tribute he sent me.

So Hillary Clinton, the Democrat, has lost to Donald Trump, the Republican; and my dream of seeing a highly accomplished female installed as President of the most powerful nation on earth is lying in tatters.

I RECENTLY saw a wonderful photograph that really cheered me up in a week that has been full of sadness and tears.

It depicted the 21 freed Chibok Girls dancing at a special thanksgiving service in Abuja. They were smiling joyfully and looked absolutely beautiful – vibrant young ladies with many years ahead of them – in their colourful new clothes.

Ken Saro-Wiwa Junior, the eldest son of the Ogoni author and activist whose 1995 execution sent shockwaves around the world, passed away, aged only 47, on Tuesday. And I am more devastated than mere words can ever express.

I’VE never met Mrs Aisha Buhari. Our paths did not cross when I was campaigning for her husband in 2014 and 2015. And I’ve never attended any function at which she has spoken and have only glimpsed her in the flesh once – from a great distance when the new President was being sworn in at Eagle Square last May 29 (she was in the glass VIP box, I was in an ordinary seat on the other side of the stadium).

Last week, on the eve of our 56th Independence Day “celebrations” (what is there to celebrate?!), I compared Nigeria’s lack of progress with the daily progress that takes place in other parts of the world – Europe, America and Japan, for example.